A cold wind sighed through the bare branches of the trees, which stood
along the walkway leading up to one of Tokyo's government buildings.
However, looking through a puddle on the dreary cement, a different scene
was unveiled. The eternal sakura petals floated down from the elegant trees
next to the "other" government building. This other place was a part of
meifu; land of the dead, and the building was still a part of a government,
though not one of mortal men. This was Enmacho, the place where the mortal
souls of men are judged for their sin and innocence after death. Enma-daioh
is the being in charge of Enmacho, and underneath him work several
divisions, one of which being the shokan division. The individuals who work
in the shokan are nicknamed the shinigami, or the gods of death, the most
respected and under-paid people under Enma-daioh. These are the individuals
that had died but were not ready for the after life. Thus they were given
new bodies and permission to venture to the mortal realm as private
investigators of the Enmacho Shokan Bureau. They are assigned to
investigate the deaths of those who had not lived long enough, and to give
death to those who had over spent their time in the human world. This is
the group of people that had noticed the brewing of trouble first.
Watari's honey-yellow eyes strayed to the meeting room doors for the fifth time in five minutes. He was getting quite impatient, waiting for the rest of his group to show up for the early morning emergency meeting. The only other person in the room was Tatsumi, Chief Konoe's secretary. He was sitting calmly on the other side of the table, a cup of tea in front of him and a stern look on his face. He looked every bit the businessman in his suit, with his brushed back flawless, brown hair and spectacles. Watari sighed; the small vial of mysterious pills in his hand was getting warm from being held so long. He perked up immediately when he heard the door slide open. Emiko and Hisoka walked into the room muttering their good mornings. Emiko sat down next to Watari and Hisoka found a seat on Tatsumi's side of the table. Only two seats lay empty now.
Watari shot a glance at Emiko through his long bushy blond hair. She was nonchalantly staring at the far wall, her short hair slightly slicked down from being wet.
"Eh, Emiko, would you like some tea?" he asked her cheerfully.
"Sure," she said nodding at him. Watari looked over at the blond-haired boy.
"What about you, Hisoka?" Hisoka looked at him sleepily.
"No, thank you."
"Alright" Watari said lightly, getting up. He made his way to the tea on a little table on the side of the room and poured the hot liquid into two mugs. Turning away toward the group, he deftly slipped a pill into the one of the drinks. Smiling, he walked back over to Emiko and handed her a mug. She accepted the drink with one hand however with the other grabbed his wrist and clamped down hard.
"Watari-san...what did you put into my drink?" She murmured.
"I put nothing in there." He said as innocently as possible. Emiko squeezed down harder on his wrist. Watari winced when he felt something crack.
"Owowow-I swear I put nothing in there!" he yelped. "If you don't believe me, take my drink." He said quickly handing her is own cup, and picking up hers. Contented, she let go of him. In relief, he sat down, though there was a small smile playing at the corner of his mouth. The smile faded when he noticed Hisoka staring at him with his deep emerald eyes. It was an accusatory look. Watari looked away, though he began to squirm guiltily in his seat. Hisoka kept staring. Watari bit his lip, nervous beads of sweat appearing on his forehead. He couldn't take it anymore.
"Okay! I'll be honest!" he burst out. Emiko, who was just about to take a sip from the cup, dropped it in surprise at his shout. The cup smacked into the table, its contents spilling and turning bright rainbow when it touched the table. The whole group stared at it, then looked over at Watari. He grinned guiltily.
"You bastard!" Emiko shrieked at him, standing up. Watari put up his hands to calm her.
"Oh, it isn't that bad trying out my drugs" He cooed at her.
"The hell it is!" she retorted. Big hurtful tears appeared in his eyes.
"What a cruel person my partner is." He whined at her. Emiko was caught by his attitude.
"I am not!" she argued.
"Then please take one, I only need to try it out on a female." Emiko gave him a dirty look in response.
"How come you only need to try it on a female?" Hisoka asked him uneasily.
"Because I already have a male test subject for a similar drug." Watari said, quite cheerful once again.
"Who... exactly?" Hisoka said slowly, regretting what he was asking as the words left his mouth.
"Well-" Watari began but was interrupted when the doors slid open and quickly banged shut once more. A stricken Tsuzuki had entered the room. He searched around wildly before running around the table, jumping into a closet, and shutting the door with a snap. For the second time in a row, the group simply stared. Only Tatsumi ignored him. He was still sipping his tea unperturbed. Hisoka walked over to the closet and was about to open it, when there was a soft knock on the door. Everyone turned around and saw a familiar figure enter. A mask and a hand. It was Hakushaku-sama; he peered in and then seemed disappointed.
"Aaaaw, I guess my Tsuzuki-chan isn't here at the moment," he sighed and strolled over to Emiko. "When you see him can you give him this?" He handed Emiko a note. She nodded. He gave a smile and left. Emiko crossed the room with the note until she was alongside Hisoka. He looked over at the note curiously. After a moment, he snorted with derisive laughter and sat down. She looked at him in slight disapproval.
"You should feel sorry for Tsuzuki. Its not his fault he gets hit on by all these perverts." She opened the closet door.
"Its all right, the count left." Tsuzuki stepped from the closet clearing his throat and straightening his tie. Emiko handed him the note.
"What's this?" he asked; Emiko answered,
"A note from Hakushaku-sama." Tsuzuki scanned over it, his face turning redder by the second. He gritted his teeth and tore the piece of paper into tiny little pieces. Angrily, he sat down muttering something about, "Why me," and "Old perverts." Now the door opened once more and Chief Konoe and one of the Gushoshin brothers stepped in carrying a laptop. Everyone sat down at his or her entry. The Gushoshin hooted a "Good Morning" to everyone in the room. (The Gushoshin look like white chickens with arms. At the moment, they work as librarians for the Shokan division.) Chief Konoe stood in front of the table.
"Ehem, I have called this meeting to discuss very chilling news with you..." he paused, making himself sound more dramatic. "Gushoshin, kindly put up the kiseki for today." He asked the fluffy bird. (The kiseki is the list of the dead) The Gushoshin tapped a few keys on the computer and the projector under the table came to life with a whirring noise. A projector screen in front of the Shinigami group brightened up, but stayed blank. Tsuzuki shrugged.
"What's so chilling about a blank screen? It only means that no one in Tokyo has died yet today. This is very uncommon, but it happens sometimes." He said, his amethyst eyes glinting in a knowledgeable way. Emiko nodded, agreeing with him. Chief Konoe shook his head however.
"This is strange because this is the kiseki for the entire world."
A stunned silence greeted this news. No one could really believe that this was possible.
"How could this be?" Hisoka asked, breaking the silence. Watari looked soberly at the screen.
"It's a silence," he murmured, "a silence before the storm."
Note: Egah! I changed more than I thought I would. Though I think this makes more sense. I dunno... Anyway, I shall introduce myself to any random readers (if there are any :p) Hi, I'm Acid and I'm the co-authoress of this strange little story...hmmm well that's all. I hope you enjoy reading it.
Watari's honey-yellow eyes strayed to the meeting room doors for the fifth time in five minutes. He was getting quite impatient, waiting for the rest of his group to show up for the early morning emergency meeting. The only other person in the room was Tatsumi, Chief Konoe's secretary. He was sitting calmly on the other side of the table, a cup of tea in front of him and a stern look on his face. He looked every bit the businessman in his suit, with his brushed back flawless, brown hair and spectacles. Watari sighed; the small vial of mysterious pills in his hand was getting warm from being held so long. He perked up immediately when he heard the door slide open. Emiko and Hisoka walked into the room muttering their good mornings. Emiko sat down next to Watari and Hisoka found a seat on Tatsumi's side of the table. Only two seats lay empty now.
Watari shot a glance at Emiko through his long bushy blond hair. She was nonchalantly staring at the far wall, her short hair slightly slicked down from being wet.
"Eh, Emiko, would you like some tea?" he asked her cheerfully.
"Sure," she said nodding at him. Watari looked over at the blond-haired boy.
"What about you, Hisoka?" Hisoka looked at him sleepily.
"No, thank you."
"Alright" Watari said lightly, getting up. He made his way to the tea on a little table on the side of the room and poured the hot liquid into two mugs. Turning away toward the group, he deftly slipped a pill into the one of the drinks. Smiling, he walked back over to Emiko and handed her a mug. She accepted the drink with one hand however with the other grabbed his wrist and clamped down hard.
"Watari-san...what did you put into my drink?" She murmured.
"I put nothing in there." He said as innocently as possible. Emiko squeezed down harder on his wrist. Watari winced when he felt something crack.
"Owowow-I swear I put nothing in there!" he yelped. "If you don't believe me, take my drink." He said quickly handing her is own cup, and picking up hers. Contented, she let go of him. In relief, he sat down, though there was a small smile playing at the corner of his mouth. The smile faded when he noticed Hisoka staring at him with his deep emerald eyes. It was an accusatory look. Watari looked away, though he began to squirm guiltily in his seat. Hisoka kept staring. Watari bit his lip, nervous beads of sweat appearing on his forehead. He couldn't take it anymore.
"Okay! I'll be honest!" he burst out. Emiko, who was just about to take a sip from the cup, dropped it in surprise at his shout. The cup smacked into the table, its contents spilling and turning bright rainbow when it touched the table. The whole group stared at it, then looked over at Watari. He grinned guiltily.
"You bastard!" Emiko shrieked at him, standing up. Watari put up his hands to calm her.
"Oh, it isn't that bad trying out my drugs" He cooed at her.
"The hell it is!" she retorted. Big hurtful tears appeared in his eyes.
"What a cruel person my partner is." He whined at her. Emiko was caught by his attitude.
"I am not!" she argued.
"Then please take one, I only need to try it out on a female." Emiko gave him a dirty look in response.
"How come you only need to try it on a female?" Hisoka asked him uneasily.
"Because I already have a male test subject for a similar drug." Watari said, quite cheerful once again.
"Who... exactly?" Hisoka said slowly, regretting what he was asking as the words left his mouth.
"Well-" Watari began but was interrupted when the doors slid open and quickly banged shut once more. A stricken Tsuzuki had entered the room. He searched around wildly before running around the table, jumping into a closet, and shutting the door with a snap. For the second time in a row, the group simply stared. Only Tatsumi ignored him. He was still sipping his tea unperturbed. Hisoka walked over to the closet and was about to open it, when there was a soft knock on the door. Everyone turned around and saw a familiar figure enter. A mask and a hand. It was Hakushaku-sama; he peered in and then seemed disappointed.
"Aaaaw, I guess my Tsuzuki-chan isn't here at the moment," he sighed and strolled over to Emiko. "When you see him can you give him this?" He handed Emiko a note. She nodded. He gave a smile and left. Emiko crossed the room with the note until she was alongside Hisoka. He looked over at the note curiously. After a moment, he snorted with derisive laughter and sat down. She looked at him in slight disapproval.
"You should feel sorry for Tsuzuki. Its not his fault he gets hit on by all these perverts." She opened the closet door.
"Its all right, the count left." Tsuzuki stepped from the closet clearing his throat and straightening his tie. Emiko handed him the note.
"What's this?" he asked; Emiko answered,
"A note from Hakushaku-sama." Tsuzuki scanned over it, his face turning redder by the second. He gritted his teeth and tore the piece of paper into tiny little pieces. Angrily, he sat down muttering something about, "Why me," and "Old perverts." Now the door opened once more and Chief Konoe and one of the Gushoshin brothers stepped in carrying a laptop. Everyone sat down at his or her entry. The Gushoshin hooted a "Good Morning" to everyone in the room. (The Gushoshin look like white chickens with arms. At the moment, they work as librarians for the Shokan division.) Chief Konoe stood in front of the table.
"Ehem, I have called this meeting to discuss very chilling news with you..." he paused, making himself sound more dramatic. "Gushoshin, kindly put up the kiseki for today." He asked the fluffy bird. (The kiseki is the list of the dead) The Gushoshin tapped a few keys on the computer and the projector under the table came to life with a whirring noise. A projector screen in front of the Shinigami group brightened up, but stayed blank. Tsuzuki shrugged.
"What's so chilling about a blank screen? It only means that no one in Tokyo has died yet today. This is very uncommon, but it happens sometimes." He said, his amethyst eyes glinting in a knowledgeable way. Emiko nodded, agreeing with him. Chief Konoe shook his head however.
"This is strange because this is the kiseki for the entire world."
A stunned silence greeted this news. No one could really believe that this was possible.
"How could this be?" Hisoka asked, breaking the silence. Watari looked soberly at the screen.
"It's a silence," he murmured, "a silence before the storm."
Note: Egah! I changed more than I thought I would. Though I think this makes more sense. I dunno... Anyway, I shall introduce myself to any random readers (if there are any :p) Hi, I'm Acid and I'm the co-authoress of this strange little story...hmmm well that's all. I hope you enjoy reading it.